India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2014 Match 6 at Mirpur

India paid the price for costly blunders at crucial junctures to suffer a nerve-wracking one-wicket defeat at the hands of arch rivals Pakistan, who rode on Shahid Afridi‘s brilliant cameo to virtually assure themselves a berth in the final of the Asia Cup.

In a tense encounter where fortunes fluctuating from one team to other till very end saw Afridi the turn the game decisively in Pakistan’s favour by hitting successive sixes in Ravichandran Ashwin’s last over to overhaul India’s modest total of 245.

Afridi, who has been very inconsistent with the bat hit the first six over deep extra cover and the next over long on as he scored 34 not out in only 18 balls with two fours and three sixes.

Dinesh Karthik’s woeful work behind the stumps again cost India dearly as he missed the easiest of stumpings when Ashwin fired one down leg side with Sohaib Maqsood (38), then batting on 21 coming out of charge. Karthik failed to gather the ball and missed the stumping with Pakistan on 167 for four, PTI reported.

First Published on March 2, 2014 11:03 PM ISTLast updated on March 2, 2014 11:03 PM IST